Objectives : The Glycyrrhiza new varieties, WONGAM and SINWONGAM, were developed through interspecific cross between Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza uralensis by the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration in Korea. This in vitro study was undertaken to compare the antioxidant and cytotoxic effects between Glycyrrhiza new varieties (WONGAM and SINWONGAM) and official compendia (Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza uralensis). *Corresponding author : Wonnam Kim, Cnh Center for Cancer Research, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 06154, Republic of Korea. ·Tel : +82-70-7711-8529 ·Fax : +82-70-8282-7007 ·E-mail : eb75lab@gmail.com #First author : Minhee Kim, Division of Pharmacology, College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Jecheon, 27136, Republic of Korea. ·E-mail : mickeymhk@gmail.com Myunghoon Kang, Division of Pharmacology, College of Korean Medicine, Semyung University, Jecheon, 27136, Republic of Korea. ·E-mail : kangmh1994@naver.com Jeonghoon Lee, Herbal Crop Research Division, NIHHS, RDA, Eumseong, Chungbuk, 27709, Republic of Korea. ·E-mail : artemisia@korea.kr ·Received : 12 April 2021 ·Revised : 28 April 2021 ·Accepted : 25 May 2021 16 大 韓 本 草 學 會 誌 ― Vol. 36 No. 3, 2021 Methods : Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhy drazyl), ABTS (2,2-azino-bis (3-rthylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) diammonium salt, Nitrite radical scavenging assay, and Reducing Power assay. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay and cell morphology was observed by an inverted microscope. Results : The DPPH, ABTS, Nitrite radical scavenging activities and reducing power of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, WONGAM, and SINWONGAM were evaluated at different concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 μg/ml). Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, WONGAM, and SINWONGAM showed similar dose-dependent increase in antioxidant activities. The cytotoxic effects with increasing doses of Glycyrrhiza new varieties and official compendia did not differ in HCT116, HT29, A549, MDA-MB231, PC3, ACHN, and HeLa cells. However, significant difference in cytotoxicity were observed in AGS, MCF7 and Hep3B cells by Glycyrrhiza glabra, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, WONGAM, and SINWONGAM. Conclusions : These results showed that Glycyrrhiza new varieties and official compendia acts as a potent antioxidant. Also, the finding that equivalent cytotoxic potency was observed in a cell dependent manner. Our study suggests that Glycyrrhiza new varieties may offer a wide-variety of health benefits.
Objectives : Increasing evidence supports the biological and pharmacological activities of essential oils on the central nervous system such as pain, anxiety, attention, arousal, relaxation, sedation and learning and memory. The purpose of present work is to investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanism of cypress essential oil (CEO) against scopolamine (SCO)-induced cognitive impairments in C57BL/6 mice. Methods : A series of behavior tests such as Morris water maze, passive avoidance, and fear conditioning tests were conducted to monitor learning and memory functions. Immunoblotting and RT-PCR were also performed in the hippocampal tissue to determine the underlying mechanism of CEO. Results : SCO induced cognitive impairments as assessed by decreased step-through latency in passive avoidance test, relatively low freezing time in fear conditioning test, and increased time spent to find the hidden platform in Morris water maze test. Conversely, CEO inhalation significantly reversed the SCO-induced cognitive impairments in C57BL/6 mice comparable to control levels. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of memory enhancing effect of CEO we have examined the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus. CEO effectively elevated the protein as well as mRNA expression of BDNF via activation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Conclusions : Our findings suggest that CEO inhalation effectively restored the SCO-impaired cognitive functions in C56BL/6 mice. This learning and memory enhancing effect of CEO was partly mediated by up-regulation of BDNF via activation of CREB.
